Jets Headed Back to Winnipeg?

Well that is the latest report from the Globe and Mail. Here is a good summary of the situation as of Friday, May 21, 2011.

http://m.news1130.com/National/Article/229106

I believe that the NHL is coming back to Winnipeg, but it is not official yet. I feel badly for Atlanta - it hurt when the Jets left Winnipeg back in 1996. I attended the last game - a losing playoff effort against the mighty Detroit Red Wings back in April of that year. My daughter Alex and I was there to celebrate the team and mourn their loss. Alex was only six at the time, but a big fan even then and she still is a big fan. My son Reid is excited to have the team coming back too.

This has nothing to do with braces or orthodontics except that like braces, hockey is designed to improve people's lives. NHL hockey will bring more fun to the City of Winnipeg and that means more smiles. So I guess there is a connection after all.

Have a great long weekend! It is the official start of the summer for us and I hope it is a great one for everyone!

Go Jets!

What is a blog for?

To me a blog is about having a conversation - talking about things that are relevant and revealing. It is about being transparent - showing who you are and what you think.

I don't think blogs are supposed to be boring and corporate. Blogs should be real.

Blogs should give people information and help them to do things. Websites should do the same thing and I am still working on mine. Hmm - I was a month late when I was born - my website is taking a lot longer than that, but I do not want the typical website.

I think it will be worth the wait. I sure hope so.

We are looking for our next great assistant - now hiring

We are seeing more people who want great smiles. And they want them as quickly and as comfortably as possible, which is just the way we like to do it. We are becoming busier so we are looking for a new member of our team.

This is a new position for a Phase 2 dental assistant with the ortho module. The position is permanent and part-time - 3 days a week - Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at our Polo Park office.

So if you are looking for a great place to work for 3 days with long weekends, please contact us by fax, 944-0538 or email: smilesooner@gmail.com.

We are looking forward to meeting you and working with you.

So my silence is broken again. Will it continue? You will have to tune in to find out.

Enough build-up. I am back here because I just had a brain wave.

It's never too late to be young. Yes. You're never too old to be young. Get out there and have fun.

I think that fun is the first key to being young. I am having fun - a lot of fun actually.

I hope you are too.

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Its a new year and we wish you all the best. We hope your holidays were festive with family and relaxation.

We are looking forward to the new year here at our office. We will have some changes to announce.

And I don't find that new years resolutions are that helpful, but I am going to be blogging more regularly in the new year. I will also be adding youtube videos.

My priority in the new year is going to be teaching, learning and communicating with the people I work with - you the patients, parents, dentists, and all the other members of the oral health team - dental hygienists, assistants and reception staff.

Orthodontic treatment can be puzzling. It helps to know more before your treatment, during your treatment and after your treatment. I want to make it easier for you to be empowered with your orthodontic knowledge. But I know it can be a case of information overload at times so it is important for us to be here on the web to provide the information you need and deserve.

So smile lots in the new year and remember that we want you to smile sooner. I want you to smile with your first contact with my office - whether you do that with a phone call or a visit here on the web. I want you to smile as we inform you, treat you and support you in your health and smiles.

Cheers for a great 2011!

Braces Dragging On - The Last Thing We Want for You!

We want your orthodontic treatment to go as quickly and as comfortably as possible to reach a great smile. We want you to be in braces for the least amount of time.

We do not want your braces to drag on. We want your treatment to keep moving. Braces drag on when we are not making the progress we need to get that great smile.

Some people will joke that their orthodontist will say six months more in braces, but they really mean nine more months. Sure your orthodontist may estimate two years of braces in total, but it will be more like three years - some people will say.

We do not want this "dragging on" at all. We never want people to say this about us or my office We want to give you our best estimate for how long your braces will take before you begin your orthodontic treatment. During your orthodontic treatment, we want to keep you up to date on our progress - are we ahead of schedule? or behind schedule?

With our Damon braces and the experience we have gained with them over the past six years, we find more and more of our patients get their braces off on time or even ahead of schedule. Not all. We are always striving to do better.

There are some things we do to reduce your time in braces and there are some things you can do to help us - and yourself. We all want the same thing - a great smile - as quickly and as comfortably as possible.

I am going to be talking more about those things we do and the ways you can help in future blog posts - stay tuned.

Why are you getting braces? You don't need them.

I hear that from a surprising number of  people. Many people come to see me and say that their family or friends think their smile is great already. "You don't need braces."

And they are right - no one "needs" braces like they would an operation, food or water. Braces are the best way to straighten teeth for a healthy and a confident smile. There can be real benefits for your health and your appearance. If something is bothering you, it makes sense to get it checked out and see what braces may be able to do for you.

I may agree that braces may not be the best way to go for you. It may make sense for your dentist to bond or place veneers on your teeth to improve their appearance. Or braces and later veneers may make the most sense for you and your smile.

I am not here to tell you that you need braces. I am here to listen to you and your concerns. I am here to let you know what braces can do for you. Friends and family members may mean well, but they may be trying to hold you back from doing something that they would like to do for themselves, but are not willing to do for any number of reasons.

People can find it easy to give advice to others - they know what's best for others, but they struggle with their own decisions. I don't pretend to know you or your concerns. I want to listen to you, examine your smile and have a good discussion about what braces can do for you. Then you can decide what works for you.

And it is not unusual that when the braces come off, those same friends and family who questioned the braces, say: "WOW - those braces made a big difference - great smile." All's well that ends well.